The field of this disclosure relates generally to gas turbine assemblies and, more particularly, to turbine discs and methods of fabricating the same.
Many known gas turbine assemblies include a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. Gases (e.g., air) flow into the compressor and are compressed. The compressed gas flow is then discharged into the combustor, mixed with fuel, and ignited to generate combustion gases. The combustion gas flow is channeled from the combustor through the turbine.
At least some known turbines include a plurality of rotor blades that are driven by the combustion gas flow, such that the rotor blades are subjected to higher-temperature operating conditions. It is common to cool the rotor blades by channeling cooling gases through the rotor blades and then injecting the cooling gas flow into the combustion gas flow. However, it can be difficult to inject the cooling gas flow into the combustion gas flow if the cooling gas flow is not adequately pressurized.